The present invention relates generally to an implantable device for in vivo delivery of bioactive compounds. The present invention provides an implantable structural material having a three-dimensional conformation suitable for loading a bioactive agent into the structural material, implanting the structural material in vivo and releasing the bioactive agent from the structural agent to deliver a pharmacologically acceptable level of the bioactive agent to an internal region of a body. More particularly, the present invention relates to an implantable medical device, such as an endoluminal stent, stent-graft, graft, valves, filters, occluders, osteal implant or the like, having cavitated regions incorporated within the material of the device with micropores that communicate a bioactive agent from the cavity to an area external the device.
The present invention may be used for any indication where it is desirable to deliver a bioactive agent to a local situs within a body over a period of time. For example, the present invention may be used in treating vascular occlusive disease, disorders or vascular injury, as an implantable contraceptive for delivery of a contraceptive agent delivered intrauterine or subcutaneously, to carry an anti-neoplastic agent or radioactive agent and implanted within or adjacent to a tumor, such as to treat prostate cancer, for time-mediated delivery of immunosuppresents, antiviral or antibiotic agents for treating of autoimmune disorders such as transplantation rejection or acquired immune disorders such as HIV, or to treat implant or non-implant-related inflammation or infections such as endocarditis.
Occlusive diseases, disorders or trauma cause patent body lumens to narrow and restrict the flow or passage of fluid or materials through the body lumen. One example of occlusive disease is arteriosclerosis in which portions of blood vessels become occluded by the gradual build-up of arteriosclerotic plaque, this process is also known as stenosis. When vascular stenosis results in the functional occlusion of a blood vessel the vessel must be returned to its patent condition. Conventional therapies for treatment of occluded body lumens include dilatation of the body lumen using bioactive agents, such as tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) gene transfers which have improved blood flow and collateral development in ischemic limb and myocardium (S. Yla-Herttuala, Cardiovascular Gene Therapy, Lancet, Jan. 15, 2000), surgical intervention to remove the blockage, replacement of the blocked segment with a new segment of endogenous or exogenous graft tissue, or the use of a catheter-mounted device such as a balloon catheter to dilate the body lumen or an artherectomy catheter to remove occlusive material. The dilation of a blood vessel with a balloon catheter is called percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. During angioplasty, a balloon catheter in a deflated state is inserted within an occluded segment of a blood vessel and is inflated and deflated a number of times to expand the vessel. Due to the inflation of the balloon catheter, the plaque formed on the vessel walls cracks and the vessel expands to allow increased blood flow through the vessel.
In approximately sixty percent of angioplasty cases, the blood vessel remains patent. However, the restenosis rate of approximately forty percent is unacceptably high. Endoluminal stents of a wide variety of materials, properties and configurations have been used post-angioplasty in order to prevent restenosis and loss of patency in the vessel.
While the use of endoluminal stents has successfully decreased the rate of restenosis in angioplasty patients, it has been found that a significant restenosis rate continues to exist even with the use of endoluminal stents. It is generally believed that the post-stenting restenosis rate is due, in major part, to a failure of the endothelial layer to regrow over the stent and the incidence of smooth muscle cell-related neointimal growth on the luminal surfaces of the stent. Injury to the endothelium, the natural nonthrombogenic lining of the arterial lumen, is a significant factor contributing to restenosis at the situs of a stent. Endothelial loss exposes thrombogenic arterial wall proteins, which, along with the generally thrombogenic nature of many prosthetic materials, such as stainless steel, titanium, tantalum, Nitinol, etc. customarily used in manufacturing stents, initiates platelet deposition and activation of the coagulation cascade, which results in thrombus formation, ranging from partial covering of the luminal surface of the stent to an occlusive thrombus. Additionally, endothelial loss at the site of the stent has been implicated in the development of neointimal hyperplasia at the stent situs. Accordingly, rapid re-endothelialization of the arterial wall with concomitant endothelialization of the body fluid or blood contacting surfaces of the implanted device is considered critical for maintaining vasculature patency and preventing low-flow thrombosis. To prevent restenosis and thrombosis in the area where angioplasty has been performed, anti-thrombosis agents and other biologically active agents can be employed.
It has been found desirable to deliver bioactive agents to the area where a stent is placed concurrently with stent implantation. Many stents have been designed to delivery bioactive agents to the anatomical region of stent implantation. Some of these stents are biodegradable stents which are impregnated with bioactive agents. Examples of biodegradable impregnated stents are those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,013, 5,429,634, and 5,443,458. Other known bioactive agent delivery stents include a stent disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,348 in which a bioactive agent is impregnated into filaments which are woven into or laminated onto a stent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,456 discloses a hydrophilic stent that may include a bioactive agent adsorbed which can include a biologically active agent disposed within the hydrophilic material of the stent. Other bioactive agent delivery stents disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,201,778, 5,282,823, 5,383,927; 5,383,928, 5,423,885, 5,441,515, 5,443,496, 5,449,382, 4,464,450, and European Patent Application No. 0 528 039. Other devices for endoluminal delivery of bioactive agents are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,797,485, 4,203,442, 4,309,776, 4,479,796, 5,002,661, 5,062,829, 5,180,366, 5,295,962, 5,304,121, 5,421,826, and International Application No. WO 94/18906. A directional release bioactive agent stent is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,305 in which a stent is formed of a helical member that has a groove in the abluminal surface of the helical member. A bioactive agent is loaded into the groove prior to endoluminal delivery and the bioactive agent is therefore in direct apposition to the tissue that the bioactive agent treats. Finally, International Application No. WO 00/18327 discloses a drug delivery stent in which a tubular conduit is wound into a helical stent. The tubular conduit has either a single continuous lumen or dual continuous lumens that extend the entire length of the conduit. The tubular conduit has regions or segments thereof that has pores to permit drug “seepage” from the conduit. One end of the tubular conduit is in fluid flow communication with a fluid delivery catheter, which introduces a fluid, such as drug into the continuous lumen and through the pores. Where biodegradable or non-biodegradable polymer-based or polymer-coated stents have been used, the polymers cause an immune inflammatory response once the drug is eluted out of the polymer. Where a polymer is employed as the bioactive agent carrier, it is, therefore, desirable to isolate the polymer from body tissues in order to limit the immune inflammatory response after the bioactive agent has eluted as can be accomplished with the present invention.